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Subterranea’s Humachine – it’s a rock revolution
27 April
2007
The process of making an
album is expensive, complex and time consuming; the decision to commit to it
is not one to be taken lightly. Thus as Subterranea receive the master of
their third sonic snapshot “Humachine” it an opportune moment to consider
nature of their previous two offerings and the progression that is
represented by this latest release.
“Subterraneas”, a homebrew
of songs recorded in 2002 reflects the energy and enthusiasm of Sonora
youth, raised in the slow baked desert environment. Being so close to the
US border as they developed their tastes, the natural inclination for
everyone was to find their music on the American alternative scene. This
perhaps put them slightly ahead of the curve in terms of new styles like EMO
and Happy Punk that seem to be creating such a vibe in el DF more recently.
Indeed the second album
“Soledad Brother” released through Victim Records in 2005 was conceived and
developed while the band was based in the US. A profound and at times
painfully personal collection of melancholia, it reflects a period when the
intense experiences of all the band members found its way into the music.
The disc helped lift the
bands profile in the US and Mexico and videos were made for two singles.
Propaganda had a dark animated piece by Robert Hines and Pulqueria a low
budget, somewhat low impact production sponsored by Vans and finished in 8
hours. The experiences formed part of a steep learning curve that has
helped them approach the latest compilation in a heads up manner.
The last two years has
been about the struggle for urban identity in the largest lump of concrete
on the planet and the tests of living in a alienated society where protest
can seem pointless. Release the “Humachines”; robots revolutionaries in the
female form, spilling the oppressors’ blood across Hines’s artwork on the
album sleeve to free your soul.
Strangely enough, plans
were given new direction by the uprising in Oaxaca as the studios became
enveloped in the conflict. Jorge Chiquis Amaro stepped in to record and mix
the band at La Chicken Station in el DF before it was sent to New York for
Howie Weinburg to do the final mastering. A crystal clear, balanced sound
has resulted that spreads itself evenly across the 30 minutes play time.
This perfectly sets free the aggressive instrumentation and angry vocals
contained in 10 tracks of outright rock.
The quality of the
collection has been attracting the interest of the majors with the band keen
to create the best possible promotional platform. They realise that a deal
may provide a “listening-station position” at outlets and cash for videos
aiding TV exposure.
However Subterranea are
not in the mood to wait around. 1000 copies have been sponsored by the
Sonora Institute of Culture for distribution in Mexico and the promotion
will be helped by a nationwide tour. The group feel they have created
something that is good enough for any market and are looking to the US and
Europe in order to make sure their music is heard. They believe Humachine
is the album and 2007 is the year. The early indications are they might be
right.
http://myspace.com/vivalasubterranea
http://pomade.tv
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